All along, we were told SIR was an essential exercise carried out as part of the Election Commission's regular duties. But now that the ideological mentor of the ruling party has declared that SIR is a means of detecting infiltrators, one understands the unseemly haste with which it is being carried out, notes Jyoti Punwani.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat offers prayers at the Shri Sad Guru Dham in Valsad.
Glimpses of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya during the Dhwajarohan (flag hoisting) ceremony in Ayodhya, November 25, 2025.
In a question-answer session lasting two-and-a-half hours, Bhagwat responded to questions ranging from Manusmriti to AI, tariffs to caste, education, patriotism, national language, Partition, illegal immigration, attacks on Muslims, and the age of retirement for politicians.
'The idol was not being worshipped for years. We decided to immerse it respectfully in the Ganga.'
The future of India will be shaped and decided by the choices the RSS makes now, argues Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'We have asked the police to verify whether the RSS is a registered organisation. If they are not registered, then specific action should be taken against them.'
'The RSS, that advocated military strength, remained in the ideological doghouse for over half a century. Many of the RSS' responses even today carry the burden of this past,' points out Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
On Friday, March 21, 2025, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat inaugurated the three-day meeting of Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the Sangh's top decision-making body.
Bhagwat's 'retirement at age 75' comment lands just as he and Modi near that mark -- sparking whispers of retirement, rifts, and reshuffles.
'This is just the beginning. You have to wait and watch to see things getting better.'
'...to build a consensus, not conflict or struggle.'
Glimpses from around the world that will make you smile and cry.
'It is something like traditional Indian families.' 'The family might be run by younger people, but if the patriarch says that you should consider someone for some task, it is very difficult for the others to ignore it.'
Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi was the centre of attention at the pran pratishtha ceremony of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.
'Mohanji is a living example of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, showing that when we rise above boundaries and consider everyone as our own, it strengthens trust, brotherhood and equality in society.'
Let there be no doubt that Modi in these 24 years so far has reshaped politics and governance considerably, if not completely, asserts Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author, Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times.
'Mr Modi has the power and pre-eminence in the BJP-RSS to choose how long he wants to serve, and he is definitely going to want to contest in 2029.' 'He will only be 79, as old as Donald Trump now, and fitter,' observes Shekhar Gupta.
What some of our politicians were up to on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.
In the last 11 years, India and the world witnessed what he stood for, what he promised and did not deliver, and what he actually stood for and practised without fearing how history would judge him. Modi's tenure has been punctuated with headline-grabbing decisions, symbolic gestures, and stage-managed moments that continue to define his leadership and India's politics, points out Ramesh Menon.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat at the RSS office in Mumbai on Monday, August 1, 2022.
'Modi's charisma may have weakened as last year's Lok Sabha poll results showed but in the eyes of the Sangh Parivar, it has not waned.' 'Minus a strong BJP government at the Centre for another decade and more, there is apprehension that an anti-Hindutva government could reverse many of the ideological gains that the Modi dispensation has achieved through its three terms,' points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Only in the event of the RSS managing to force Modi into accepting a consensual candidate, will the party not continue to 'being' the 'next Congress', observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Uttam Ghosh offers his take on Mohan Bhagwat's views.
BJP and RSS leaders are once again pushing to remove the words 'secular' and 'socialist' from the Constitution's Preamble, showing a deeper effort to change India's identity from a diverse, multi-religious republic to a Hindu-first nation, even though they don't have the numbers in Parliament to officially change the Constitution, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Mukeshbhai donated Rs 1.51 crore (Rs 15 million) to the temple's annadanam fund, the first devotee to donate such a large sum.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee makes momos at a local stall in Darjeeling.
The prolonged delay over electing J P Nadda's successor possibly stems from the RSS leadership wanting a person who is at least equidistant from the Sangh as well as the Modi/BJP edifice, observes BJP-RSS watcher Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Is the gentleman in the suit standing behind Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat who we think it is?
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat -- arguably, the third most powerful person in the ruling dispensation -- on Monday, December 20, met the Dalai Lama at Gaden Phodrang, his home in Mcleodganj, Himachal Pradesh.
What some of our leaders were up to over the weekend...
The men targetting Mohan Bhagwat were convinced he was the wrong choice to head the RSS, an NIA agent told Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa.
In shocking revelations, Swami Aseemanand claims though RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was not directly involved with the terror strikes, he was aware that such attacks were being planned. Vicky Nanjappa finds out more
>Legends from music, drama, art and social work were felicitated at the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Smruti Pratishthan awards on Wednesday, April 24, night.
>Legends from music, drama, art and social work were felicitated at the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Smruti Pratishthan awards on Wednesday, April 24, night.
'The fragmented polity of the country provides space that further divides society and fragments it. It is beneficial to those who are looking for opportunities to get votes.' BJP ideologue Tarun Vijay reacts to Raj Thackeray's assault on north Indians in Maharashtra.
Occasional lovers' tiffs have marked the history of RSS-BJP relations. To think that Nagpur will bring about any change in leadership is a misreading of both its intent and its power, points out Shekhar Gupta.
'No one is propagating RSS ideology as a government officer.'
What some of our leaders were up to over the weekend.
What were our political leaders up to on the weekend?
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